What services you need and what you don't

[LRP114]

Independent shops are all over the place re: Prius. About a year ago, one shop said that they did not, nor would they be interested in how to service (oil, etc)a Prius, even after I told them that servicing a Prius was like any other car; and when there were lots of Prius' in town. In contrast to that, I searched the web for a reliable tire/alignment store, called them up and they offered me the best price. They did not blink when I arrived with the car. So who knows with them in general.

Good luck in your search for shops which will service your Prius.

Little Lou

Originally Posted by mcbrunnhilde

At Discount Tire, they let me drive it on and off the lift (at my request). Not all places will let the customer do that, but it's worth a try!

[galaxee]

ahh! questions are building up on us again :P

Originally Posted by Tideland Prius

Hey Galaxee,

up here in Canada, the engine coolant gets changed at 64,000kms. I thought it's a 160,000 "super long life" coolant? Why is it being changed so early? I had a pretty hard time getting out of changing it early. THey still insist they change it now.

probably because of the colder temps up there. just a guess. he's also willing to bet the sllc is a different concentration up there to protect better from the winter temps up by you.

well... the colder temps in *most* of canada. you west coasters seem to have it a little warmer

Originally Posted by rposton

Galaxee,

1. How does the Prius handle small amounts of water in the fuel? Like about a tablespoon full? Thinking that some accidently got in, I dumped in a small bit of fuel line de-icer. Several tanks later, nothing weird has happened yet. Is there like a fuel filter than can be inspected? Does the electric motor spin the ICE till it passes through causing a rough start?

2. I wish that I lived closer to the dealership where your husband works.

1. if nothing's happened yet after a few tanks, you're probably fine. a tablespoon of water isn't all that much. you can't actually get the fuel filter out- it's integrated with the tank assy. water can cause stalling in very bad cases, otherwise probably misfiring. sounds like you escaped major problems.

the fuel rail is a pita to get to though, so keep a close eye on that in the future!

2. eh, you wouldn't want to go there now. he doesn't fix cars professionally anymore, he's back in school for something that doesn't aggravate the chronic pain.

Originally Posted by rposton

3. Gallaxee says that the brakes won't rust. Hmmm... Well, just the parts that move I think I read. Anyway, I have noticed a noise, seems more so in wet weather, from the brakes when I press the pedal when I start the car, and when I release the pedal after putting it in park. Seems to be associated with the brake shoes/pads. Seems more so up front. To my knowledge the rear brakes have never been checked, and definitely never been adjusted, and the car has more than 100k on them.

the rotors will rust, certainly. they tend to do so more on the prius because the brakes are used so lightly. the caliper pins aren't of concern though, which can become a problem on other cars.

if you're hearing a noise it's a good time to get em checked. having gone 100k is a pretty long interval, it's worth the money to have someone check em out now.

Originally Posted by LRP114

2) however, I have been having a problem opening my front doors while having the fop in my pocket. has anyone had any of the following occur, and if so, how did you resolve it? is there a problem with the computer?

o with fop in pocket, and standing within 1 - 2 ft of passenger door, I pull the handle to open it, and I do not hear the beep, nor the lock moving, and it does NOT open; without moving, I try it a few more times w/o any luck. then I walk around to the driver's door, and it opens normally (beeps as I pull handle, then opens)
.

your fob battery could be going. mine did that and we changed the battery. eventually we had the fob replaced under warranty. it still does it occasionally, but only at home. probably some interference somewhere near the house. in our case anyway.

Originally Posted by LRP114

Galaxee, I for one am VERY THANKFUL for your input sharing your "on the floor" experiences, AND I understood that you were giving "rules of thumb".

Thanks again for all of your help.

Little Lou

happy to be of service.

Originally Posted by LRP114

Galaxee, I went to this website and could not find any info on the PCV valve. What IS the recommended frequency; and what is its location?
Thanks as always, Little Lou

plan on doing the pcv valve around 60k. i see the site's link format has changed... hmm. let me dig that one up.

aha!
http://priuschat.com/forums/care-mai...pcv-valve.html

[dumas]

Originally Posted by galaxee

2. eh, you wouldn't want to go there now. he doesn't fix cars professionally anymore, he's back in school for something that doesn't aggravate the chronic pain.

Any suggestions for those of us who do live in the area and might need a dealer's services some day?

[dumas]

Originally Posted by LRP114

o with fop in pocket, and standing within 1 - 2 ft of passenger door, I pull the handle to open it, and I do not hear the beep, nor the lock moving, and it does NOT open

The only times I've had problems like this, it turned out I had my cell phone too close to the fob. After moving the phone to my other side, no more problems.

[Tideland Prius]

Originally Posted by galaxee

probably because of the colder temps up there. just a guess. he's also willing to bet the sllc is a different concentration up there to protect better from the winter temps up by you.

well... the colder temps in *most* of canada. you west coasters seem to have it a little warmer

Hmm.. but under the hood it says "Toyota Super Long Life Coolant. Change at 160,000km" (ok it doesn't say change but it did mention 160,000km).

Yeah a LOT warmer.. like > 0°C kind of warm hahaha.

So.. should I get it changed next time at 80,000km? Cause I know they'll be forcing it down my throat (lest I give up my warranty.. whatever's remaining.. the powertrain?? I think that'll be the closest).

[galaxee]

Originally Posted by dumas

Any suggestions for those of us who do live in the area and might need a dealer's services some day?

feel like driving to greensboro? the only other tech who can ever touch our car works there. (he was the other half of the Diag Dream Team.)

[galaxee]

Originally Posted by Tideland Prius

Hmm.. but under the hood it says "Toyota Super Long Life Coolant. Change at 160,000km" (ok it doesn't say change but it did mention 160,000km).

Yeah a LOT warmer.. like > 0°C kind of warm hahaha.

So.. should I get it changed next time at 80,000km? Cause I know they'll be forcing it down my throat (lest I give up my warranty.. whatever's remaining.. the powertrain?? I think that'll be the closest).

what's your warranty service book say? it's best to go by that for the warranty coverage.

[LRP114]

Re: door unlocking/fop -- thanks Dumas and Galaxee, you are probably correct; intermittant failure to unlock is probably caused by either a weak battery or interference from something like a cellphone.

This forum is REALLY helpful. Thanks everyone.

Little Lou

[LRP114]

Originally Posted by Oxo

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(SSimon @ Feb 23 2007, 01:36 PM) [snapback]395308[/snapback]</div>

Me, too!

Thanks again. Little Lou

[Tideland Prius]

Originally Posted by galaxee

what's your warranty service book say? it's best to go by that for the warranty coverage.

64,000 >.<.

Bah I don't see the point of the SLLC then if it's changed at half its life.


Thanks. I'll get it changed next time then.

Edit: It seems like it has to be changed every 64,000km. I checked the 128,000km service interval and it said to change the coolant again (as well as the inverter coolant).